Ward 2 finally has real representation. The meeting was strictly about canopies, which they persisted in calling “tents”, & transient vendors. Whether you agree with the outcome or not, there is a decision. Councilman Hoffman held a pretty civilized meeting, brought Charlene Black for questions, read an ordinance & entertained discussion. Refreshing … a solution . Full disclosure: it’s totally biased & full of holes, in MY opinion but hey …

Did he explain why he helped pass the largest tax increase ever? The school, everyone has been complaining about, saved us about 250,000 this year so the city increased us about $500,000. I voted for the new councilman because he came to my house three times, but he said nothing about raising my taxes. I’m pissed. I’m looking at a tractor supply building getting ready to open next to my house, that’s not going to increase revenues? And all the other new businesses and homes. I think we got the shaft.

They Raised taxes for the Paving Bond which was already being funded by the Road and Bridge Money. This funding mechanism was voted on an signed on to by Mayor Favre, Doug Seal and Jeffery Reed. The County also voted to dedicate this money for the Bond. Now they are raising taxes 4 mils to pay for the Bond. This is a huge bait n switch. Where is the road and bridge money going? Obviously to fulfill campaign promises for their patronage. Pay close attention to this. The Road and Bridge money was to be used in Wards 5 & 6. Now we all get hit for fun political money. I really believe their has to be a problem with voting publically to pay something get it ironed out and signed telling the public publically that is where their money is going then bait and switch and raise taxes for an already funded project. It makes public issues like paving which had endless meetings dragging the public through it, paying county and city attorneys to draw it up pointless. Doug do you have any legal insight on this? They just as well have private meetings to decide things. If the schools raise their 2 Mil reduction next year we will really be in a quandary. The political thought here is not the best interest of the taxpayer but just say the school raised taxes and point fingers. Hell, Les probably would not have lied and cheated if those 3 guys would have just raised taxes for extra cash. That’s easier than managing!

Were either of you at the Public Hearing about raising taxes? I don’t think so because there was a Public Forum & not a single person spoke, NOT ONE. Much like the current President being elected, people complain after the fact. I am not going to begin to pretend that I understand the convoluted repayment plan that former Councilman Falgout, the previous Council & Mayor came up with so I won’t address it BUT although this was touted as a Ward 5 & 6 road improvement bond, Wards 1-4 got their roads done first, then 5, then WHOA BABY Ward 6 is worse than we thought & we don’t have enough $$$$. And by the way, they DID have private meetings to decide what streets were going to get done!

I am in Ward 6. Lonnie promised to deal with next door blighted house and a pave job (due in 2007 0r so) for 4 years. He and my family actually believed we would get the repaving that the $$ was earmarked for. Still waiting on both issues, and the new guys are being blocked at every turn.

Trixie,
You are right. The point was that the paving bond was secured by another tax payer program and they disregarded that to raise taxes and are saying the school lowered theirs based on need and the council and mayor decided to take advantage of it to raise taxes. It is imminent that the school will eventually need to raise taxes and the city officials will guffaw at them as the problem. It was a bait n switch. As far as being there, I was. I just didn’t remember how it was financed until It came to me. I’m not in charge of remembering every detail. We pay them to do that. It is not too late the way I see it to live up to the agreement.

I directly asked all tbe participating candidates in the Alliance forum about raising taxes. As I remember the best answer was from Josh Desalvo who began his answer with, “you never say never”. The rest were against.

My opinion is the only way a City can deliver all its mandated services is to have an adequate tax levy. Everywhere else in South Mississippi levies over 30 mils in municipal taxes and that is true here in Wiggins as well. Its nice to see the rubbish truck and mosquito truck at a minimum once a week. That never happened the 5 plus years we were in the Bay.

Doug,
Wiggins does not have a Casino that pays 40+% of there monetary needs either. When you add that in we are more than adequately taxed. They just can’t give away buildings, property, services ect… to everyone who says it benefits the city to give them something. Management can never be replaced by taxes.

The tax levy for 2017 including debt service etc is 26.75 mils. I do not remember off hand how much the casino generates but with the value of a mill at $140,000 the casino would work out to about 7 mills per million.

By way of comparison the City of Gulfport has a Casino and a 34 mill City Tax levy. Biloxi has several and a 30 mill City levy. Cities without a casino include the Pass (48 mills) and Long Beach (48 mills).

The Bay is low compared to all those. Public works costs $$$, Police protection costs $$$$, Fire protection costs $$$$.

The basic laws of economics apply in Bay St Louis just as they do in Gulfport and Biloxi. The Bay has not levied enough property taxes for years and that is why City services are not delivered on anywhere near a consistent basis or more simply put you get what you pay for.

Casino Revenues are down. That is a fact. But it should always be noted that the Casino is about 40% of our tax base. Regardless of the argument you cannot replace good stewardship with taxes. They have to quit giving costly favors to friends and causes they like.

Dear Mr Handshoe:
Forgive my presumption, but I wanted to suggest you find out what your town is spraying to kill mosquitoes. Naled or Dibrom have major deleterious effects. A pregnant woman exposed to aerial spraying (as they are trying to do now in Florida) for 3 days, increases her chances 15% that her child will be born with microcephaly. Remember Zika was supposed to cause microcephaly in Brazil? Or was it the Naled they sprayed heavily for weeks?

Since Skeeter dude found our 2 block of chem free (as free as possible) he has started spraying again. We will have him over for dinner.

Studies of aerial Naled show significant declines in bees, birds and bats. Also amphibians, our mine canary. Out little neighborhood gang have built proper bat houses and erected thru the area. We use household products for herbicides. We plant and put out feeders to draw our animal neighbors back. Before K, we sat on the deck onthe bayou, bat silhouettes swooping and diving in a beautiful dance, tree frogs so loud I’d holler “shut up” and for a second they would. Plants full of chameleons, our bottle brush congested with hummingbirds and bees. Less than 50% now.

Thanks for listening. I will be speaking at BSL Council meet Oct 3 on Trash Doctors, informational only (at this point). Plan on speaking and delivering this info to every governing body, so they feel the pressure to pressure the people who initiated this idiotic plan.

I live in the “red-headed stepchild” Ward 6. We received much better services from the County, in every department. The City cannot get mowing done regularly, the PD is in shambles, Les the Mess was a petty despot and now we have Lesser in the mayoral dept. Twice a week garbage pick-up is best in town, but we are more woods than people and 1x a week was adequate. Our kids still go to HC Schools, thank goodness.

I went to my first Council meeting last week and my overall impression was not too favorable. I left early and was advised that on the 10 minute ride, we had our 3rd Chief-lol….I am rapidly losing hope that, although some new blood will sincerely try to represent 5 & 6, it is a futile effort. I now realize I am living in some weird mix of “The Twilight Zone” and “The Bays of Our Lives”.

The same person in charge of securing that hot mess & is now in charge of Alice Mosely Museum. The Council supposedly gave “zero value” to the BSL Fire Dept Safety Trailer that was surplussed last year at $10,000+& then some say illegally donates it when Lonnie’s Legion turns up to speak for him at the meeting.

This is a no brained. Taxes were raised. No one objected.
Pardon me for being corny, but the proof will be in the pudding if down the road 18 months or two years if the services are not improving.
Then is when the fussing will start, and justifiably.

The county pays for the mosquito control and the Bay gets well over a million dollars per year from the casino. How many mill’s is that worth. That’s how Eddie sold it by giving us low taxes. I was glad to hear that three are against giving our money away, when dealing with the trailer. Kind of ironic when they just double funded the library and raised our taxes to do it. At least when the mayor gives money away its his own. He stopped giving the marina to the car club for free, he paid for it personally. The rest should break out them wallets too, if they fealing some generous.

Sometimes a regular citizen begins to wonder if it can ever be straightened out. The whole trailer thing was just plain sneaky & I think illegal from what Trent Favre said. how can something be declared of no value when it was surplussed last year at over $10,000, Alice Mosely thru Gary Knobloch offered $150 for it at the last meeting & Sam Moore offered $200 for it at this meeting? I’m glad that some Councilman aren’t on the Lonnie train.

Hey Trixie
I’ve been absent from Slabbed for a bit but we ar both Shoreline Park rezzies. And we were bitching, rightly so abut that trailer on 603 going up right there in front of God and all-lol. Then I saw stairs on the far side……do you know anything about the status”?

They only want it because it has value. Tax Payers property is not theirs to give away. It needs to be auctioned as per law. The 3 new council seem to get it. The old crew is regressing. Raise taxes and give stuff away to the things they like. Have the veteran politicians forgot what they were taught last 2 years. MML Training is a total waste of our money. They learn nothing except what limits the public and act stupid on their requirements.

The Alice Mosley Museum pays no property tax. That is what the public gives them. They will get the trailer and if. It not used they will sell it. How much public good comes from this. It is nice but no one loves it more than them. Tax Payers are not the Salvation Army. Raise taxes and give stuff away…… that is called the swamp! We have to make better deals.

The Alice Moseley Foundation is paying over $800.00 a month for several years now and that includes the utilities for the whole building–Tourism Office, and the Mardi Gras Museum downstairs.
Now, that is a taxpayer funded give away.
The Mardi Gras Museum is not a Museum. It is space in a publicly funded building where a “for profit” designer gets to display his work, and his Kings and Queens use it as storage for their gowns until they have to wear them for their going out ball the following year.
His business cards are on the display cases with his phone number. And, he is paying nothing as a for profit while the Moseley Foundation pays the rent and utilities on the building.
And, ironically, Moseley takes all of the criticism!! How do the city officials justify that?!
All Moseley wants the trailer for is a mini museum on wheels to take to schools for instance. How terrible is that?!
Let’s hope he doesn’t find new digs for his museum, which is a real museum, complementary to the public.

Lana,
By Law they can’t give away tax payer property. It has a value maybe not to the fire department but to someone. No one has asked them to do anything if they do that is great but we give them tax free status not money and property.
When you buy a new car do you donate the old one because you don’t need it anymore?

Sissy has said at Council that Alice Mosely DOES NOT pay utilities for the entire building. Why did the last Council & Administration allow the Mardi Gras people in the building rent free & what’s it got to do with Alice Moseley’s rent?

Ethyl,
They r all guilty of wanting the tax payer in one way or another to pay their way. The people making the requests need to tell us what they give!
They want free rent, donated property or anything else of value from the tax payer to support their philanthropic ideas. They just don’t personally do it with their personal money! If they do give it doesn’t mean we all have to to keep their idea going!

Ethel, ignorance is no excuse. the last council and administration did not allow “the mardi gras people” have free rent.The mardi gras museum is part of tourism-used as a marketing tool
That was Mike Farve that made that comment-and yes he was on the last council. HOW CONVENIENT FOR THE MOSELY MUSEUM-PAST COUNCILMAN WORKING HARD FOR FAVORS
MAYBE, the state auditors will investigate

Ethel,
It has everything to do with Moseley’s rent.
Mardi Museum is getting free space in the publicly owned building, while Moseley, a non profit, pays.
The Cypress Cafe owners don’t get old City Hall on Second St. free. Nor did CASA get free space upstairs.
Everyone should have to pay for their space.
The taxpayers are not a charity.

Lana,
Why don’t you run for office…You seem to know everything, but the truth..
HAVE YOU ASKED TOURISM -ABOUT THE MARDI GRAS MUSEUM-Why did the previous Council including Mfarveforyou charge everyone but tourism-rent?
Just wondering-
What does Ground Zero pay in Waveland?
Oh that’s right, the Waveland Mayor is not afraid of your BS

That is also my point. This wasn’t an issue for last council , as a matter of fact, Alice Moseley (a non profit) & the Mardi Gras Museum (part of tourism’s draw to the Depot as a marketing tool) , was a NON-issue. It wasn’t until, as “tourism” pointed out, “PAST COUNCILMAN WORKING HARD FOR FAVORSMAYBE, the state auditors will investigate”

What a great way to announce a meeting with Ward 2 businesses and home owners on FB. If you don’t watch it 27/7 you don’t see everyone’s post. I don’t watch all the time and would never expect getting notified this way. They could have at least said something in the newspaper or had merchants association send out a notification. I would have loved going to the meeting.

Reading all of the above replies, was anything of importance discussed? Does not seem so….
How often is he going to have these meetings?

Ward 2 lost a favorite watering hole for the elietest today,Gabbies on Main St. I saw the police and the owners changing the locks today. Was told Rafferty was fighting to keep it open but lost. Was also told the new owners are going to the city council to ask for a permit to open a gentleman’s club. I hope they finally hire girl’s that are worth looking at.

Whatever goes there will benefit the affluent, not the regular people. Downtown BSL is unrecognizable to me anymore. It has done a terrific job transforming itself into “ye Olde Quaint yet Quirky Tourist Beach Town” where the locals do not go too often….who the hell can afford a $12 cocktail at Blind Tiger? Better idea is a bottle of hootch and a nice empty stretch of beach. Bay St Bougie!

Maggie,
It does not represent the affluent. It represents progress and locals and guests enjoying life outside of their normal routine. Property values are up, people are prospering and your information as usual is uninformed and very pessimistic and biased to reflect your personal financial situation.

Oh well yes, you are soooo right. I’m just another poor person from Shoreline Park? Whose land and costly rebuild (safe to 140mph and all double trusses and 2x6s) is much lower because the City has had 6 years + to re-pave after Katrina and has had close to a decade to have the blight house torn down.
Many of us here never wanted to be part of the City. And honestly, the County did a better job at mosing,cleaning ditches, repairing our roads and schools.
Lastly, how utterly crass to talk of another’s financial situation. Your mentioning it (as if you know squat about me or my family) shows a superficiality that fits right in with BSL’s new spirit: All growth is good growth.

Oops. I didn’t see this reply from you. My apologies, I didn’t realize you were an idiot.

Here’s a suggestion and I’ll type slowly: if you find yourself in a situation in which your property is appreciating rapidly and you don’t like what comes with it, you are in an enviable position. Yeah, I know all the blather about “this here is mine…” but the objective fact is that most similarly-situated folks have small parcels relatively-recently acquired and any sensible person would be celebrating the windfall. Those complaining are mostly malcontents and kooks. True enough, not every single person falls into either group, but I’d bet a round of $12.00 cocktails that you fall into latter.

Before anyone gets upset, I absolutely respect history, heritage and a bond to “family land,” but on the other hand, being “bribed” out of your mobile home and small lot by value appreciation isn’t the same thing. And before anyone replies, think about this: how many people do you personally know, who have purchased modest or “starter” homes (mobile or not), do not aspire to move on to “bigger and better?” Put another way, not many folks say, “Boy, I sure hope the home I’ve purchased and worked to pay for loses value and the neighborhood gets worse rather than better!”

Just an observation, but if you do not like or cannot afford $12.00 cocktails, and either way, prefer a nice bottle of whatever on the beach with friends, why not enjoy what you prefer and let others do the same? As to “who the hell can afford” those cocktails, lots of folks can. But more importantly, there’s taxes on them there cocktails. And food. And other “Ye Olde Quaint yet Quirky Tourist Beach Town” stuff. A whole lot more tax dollars than on whatever happens to be the cheapest 40 at the Qwickee-Mart. But in this case, it isn’t an “haves versus have nots” thing.

True enough, the spending of those tax dollars is certainly up for discussion. But given the totality of the circumstances, I’d not look gift rich assholes and their full wallets in the mouth (if you look past the fact that assholes don’t actually have mouths). Plus, these folks really are dollars in and minimal service out, concentrated in an area you apparently aren’t interested in visiting anyway, and bluntly, aren’t going to interfere with you and the crew hootching it up at the trailer park. Simply put, what the hell is wrong with you?

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